


Coping With Regret

by TheLoneRaven909



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Spoilers, already spoiled two people, and Batterie, comfort sex maybe??, dont read this unless youve beaten the game or something, i just needed to fluff, read at your own risk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-07
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-10 15:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLoneRaven909/pseuds/TheLoneRaven909
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Batter has done everything he was asked. But now he's alone; even his Puppeteer has vanished.<br/>He can feel.<br/>But The Batter isn't sure he wants to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ((now you shoosh before you yell at me ok. the hiatus has made me do thinfs and now i am into OFF yes it happened i cant change that. -u- yes i know im neglecting my othert aus but this has to be posted. because BATTERIE is great. i love this ship alot. you dont even know. so yeah. enjoy!))

Everything is white.

 

 

    Well, not exactly all white. There’s blood everywhere as well. Blotching the white grass, staining the white walls. Sinking into the melted plastic. None of this bothered him. His mission was complete. All zones had been purified. The Batter thinks that maybe he should be rejoicing his success. But then again, why is he thinking at all?

 

Ah, that’s right.

 

   His Puppeteer has not been present for a long time. It was such a weird feeling; moving on his own…being able to take a step without an invisible hand guiding his every movement. The Batter misses the feeling of having his Puppeteer there. For the first time a painful throb fills his torso.

 

_Was this what it was like to feel?_

 

He couldn’t pinpoint what the feeling was, though. The Batter had been told what feelings were, like sadness, anger, love. He had yet to feel them himself, though.

   Thinking was a completely new world entirely. Being able to have his own thoughts definitely brought the Purifier joy. Even though he misses the intruding push that was always there in the back of his mind, it was also fantastic to fill his mind with thoughts of his own.

 

   Oh, right. Back to his thoughts. Should he be happy about what he’s done? The Batter didn’t know. Everything was clean, just as his Puppeteer had wanted. But…

 

    The man looks down to his bat, dripping red acid slowly onto the white floor. A sharp twist stabs his torso, making him cringe. _What was that?_

  It happens again, and again. The feeling fills his body, and he drops the bat.

Guilt.

 

     He sinks to the ground and drops his head into his hands, shaking slightly. He killed his family; for a mission he had hoped was the right thing to do. _Had it been the right thing to do?_ And now he was alone. Heat flares up The Batter’s face and little pinpricks of pain jab at his eyes. He killed everyone and now he’s alone. The Batter doesn’t notice when tears start to slide down his face, but it was an odd feeling, like ice being pressed into his skin.

He wishes his Puppeteer would come back.

He doesn’t want to feel anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

Too overwhelmed with this new curse called feeling, The Batter also fails to notice the lightly familiar sound.

The sound of combat boots on white tile. Heavy set but also very quiet, it was a sound that would have made the Purifier look up right away, if not for his current condition. Now there was no urge to look up, no urge to do anything at all. The footsteps continue, getting closer with every painful heartbeat. 

They tap to a halt directly in front of The Batter, and the man finally opens his eyes and looks up.  
Even though his expression does not change, something in his chest cavity flickers, making it the slightest bit harder to breathe.   
It’s Zacharie. He isn’t dead. His mask is the one that resembles a cat. He faintly remembers the reason Zacharie wore it in the first place. It is a warm thought; his own. The man crouches until he’s eye level with the Batter, although he cannot see the man’s eyes and the Batter cannot see his. He rests his head in one hand and uses the other to wave, such a childish movement, but so normal a thing for Zacharie to do. “fantaisie vous rencontrer ici!” The Batter simply stares at his friend, shocked to silence. His hollow black eyes hold so much that the man has never noticed before. A single thought flitters into his mind.

He needs to see Zacharie’s face without that mask.

For the first time his movements seem light, not forced. The Batter reaches out, his hand resting gently on the edge of Zacharie’s mask, fingertips touching his cheek. His skin is soft, and riddled with stubble. This information only bothers The Batter for a moment. Being a neat man himself, it nagged only a tiny bit in his mind. In turn, the merchant’s tan fingers reach over and grasp the edge of his cap. The Batter has to fight the urge to slap his hand away. Right. An eye for an eye. He very slowly lifts the mask up, rustling Zacharie’s hair as he pulls it off and holds the mask in his hand. Only a moment after, the larger of the two tilts the black baseball cap up, making The Batter squint as harsh sunlight reflects off of all the damn white and hits his hypersensitive eyes. Zacharie leans back on his heels and whistles low, smile akin to the one on his mask.

Zacharie looks different than the Batter would have ever imagined. Well, he had also never thought about what the man could have looked like…since he has never before wondered of the face underneath his mask. His skin is just as tan on his face as it is on his arms. There’s indeed some stubble on his chin, but just this once the Purifier would ignore it. His eyebrows are full and thick. His smile greatly resembles the mask he wears; curved like a feline and equipped with narrow teeth that come to a gentle point. Two ragged scars curve their way from the edges of his lips over to the lobe of his ears. A Glasgow Grin. He has silver rings in his ears that The Batter had not noticed before. His eyes are light gray and missing their pupils, the underside heavily outlined with dark lines from sleeplessness. The Batter stops at that. 

How late had this man stayed up, waiting for his only customer to stop by? 

Zacharie looked over The Batter before him, his smile widening in awe. “…No wonder you always found me. You must have excellent eyesight, with four eyes, Batter.” He chuckles that trademark laugh of his and winks. The Batter opens his eyes fully at this and stares Zacharie down. “Perhaps.” The Merchant nods lightly and leans back up on the toes of his combat boots, their gazes never faltering. Zacharie’s tone softens and his smile does as well.  
“Are you…crying?”

The Savior looks away and the corners of his mouth sink a little, his brows knit. “..So that’s the term.” The icy feeling is still prickling his cheeks, smearing the black smudges there. Zacharie remains silent for a very long time; to the point that The Batter looks back to his friend to make sure he is alright. The Merchant looks at him a moment more before, in a rush of emotion and tension, leans forward and plants his lips on The Batter’s. It’s the gentlest gesture the man has ever experienced. Zacharie’s lips are so soft, for a man of his composure. Shocked to silence, The Batter doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t remember what a kiss is like; or how to give one properly. So the Purifier focuses on the jolt in his stomach, the flare going up his spine from just the simplest of touches. Zacharie’s smooth hands cup the Batter’s face as he pulls back, cheeks rosy at the edges, a color rarely seen on him. It stands out against the surrounding white in the best of ways. 

The Batter looks at him for a moment, before whispering,” I don’t understand the feeling in my stomach, Zacharie... it tingles, it pains me… but it is also a very pleasant feeling.” He drops his gaze and stares at nothing, ashamed of himself for not knowing. The Merchant chuckles, but his tone is soft, welcoming. He plants a small kiss to The Batter’s forehead and lifts his chin until their eyes meet again. He smiles, rubbing his thumb against the taller man’s cheek.

“I think, dear Batter, what you are feeling is love.”

**Author's Note:**

> (fucknig this is too sad for me i cant even deal.)


End file.
